Web of Chaos
Web of Chaos was a partisan New Zealand documentary funded by tax-payers. It was directed by Justin Pemberton and aired in New Zealand on November 1, 2022.
'Deep Dive into the World of Disinformation'
Web of Chaos was described on New Zealand television as: "A deep dive into the world of disinformation, exploring why it's spreading at pace throughout Aotearoa and the world, with specialists warning of striking consequences for social cohesion and democracy."[1]
Disinformation Project's Kate Hannah and Sanjana Hattotuwa were prominently featured in the Web of Chaos.
Appearances in Web of Chaos
Director: Justin Pemberton Producers: Megan Jones and Justin Pemberton Directing Intern: Corinna Hunziker Director of Photography: Jacob Bryant Additional Sound: Colleen Brennan Ben Delany Production Coordinator: Sapideh Zareie Production Accountant: Kathy Corbett Production Manager: Hayley Becht Legal: Sarah Cull Archive Coordinator: Phoebe Shum Editor: Val Richards Post Production: Envy Studios Interviewed: Andrew Cowie, Marc Daalder, David Farrier, Kate Hannah, Lisa Ellis, Sanjana Hattotuwa, Byron Clark
Vague Threats
An article dated Nov 6, 2022 by Marc Daalder of the New-Zealand-based Newsroom claims that a seminar about Web of Chaos had to be canceled in the wake of "efforts to attend by those not invited, and a security breach". None of the threats allegedly received were detailed in the article.[2]
- "Invitations to the disinformation briefings were privately dispatched via the Science Media Centre, but screenshots of the invite appeared soon after on extremist Telegram channels. As the images spread, online users expressed the intent to attend the media-only sessions.
[...]
- "After making the decision but before notifying attendees, Hannah received an emailed death threat railing against the Disinformation Project's "collusion" with media. That only cemented in her mind the decision to cancel.
- Death threats aren't unusual for Hannah. Over the past year, she has become the fixation of a number of online extremists. In the first week of October alone, at least 24 posts across 10 fringe Telegram channels mentioned her by name.
- "There's lists of those people who are going to get executed," Hannah said in the Web of Chaos documentary. "Those who are responsible for implementing or supporting the Covid-19 framework. And I'm on that list. I'm on many lists and many of my colleagues are on lists."
- It's a continuation of the trend established during Covid-19 where experts and policymakers were targeted with increasingly abusive and violent rhetoric. Now even the people who study that rhetoric have become targets.